When it comes to building muscle mass, it seems as though everyone is always on the lookout for the most exciting and unusual move they can use to magically start packing on more size. The common belief is that the more exotic and bizarre an exercise looks, the more likely it is that it’s going to offer some real challenge and lead to some real growth.
Of course though, this is far from the reality. Actually it’s much easier than most people think to start packing on size and often it doesn’t have to involve changing the exercise at all. Just as easy is to change the way that you’re working out by altering your position, by altering the speed or just generally by changing your approach.
Before you go throwing more weight on, or start doing those one-handed, upside down, flaming bicep curls – try these simple techniques to start building bigger arms.
What You’re Doing Right Now
If you grab a barbell and go to do some bicep curls, then chances are that you’ll be naturally inclined to do so with your arms at shoulder-width apart. We naturally gravitate toward this position because it’s our strongest position and it’s the position where we’re capable of lifting the most weight. We like lifting more weight because it makes us feel good.
But as far as your biceps are concerned? They really don’t care how much weight you’re lifting. They’re more interested in how much resistance they’re facing and weight is just one way that you can increase this metric. Another method to achieve the same thing for instance is to increase the lever arm – by moving the weight further away from the muscle you effectively apply more resistance and this is a great way to make the movement harder without increasing the weight.
And likewise, so are the below two moves…
Wide Grip Bicep Curl
As the name suggests, this move is a barbell curl but with your arms wider apart. By doing this, you move the focus more onto the outsides of the biceps which mixes things up nicely. At the same time, you’re actually incorporating your shoulders which need to keep your arms in that position as you curl and you’re isolating your biceps by preventing your body from swinging. With your arms in this slightly more awkward position, there’s no option to use momentum to get through the reps and so you’re going to have to go through them in a nice, controlled manner that will result in more muscle mass when all is said and done.
Close Grip Bicep Curls
Close grip bicep curls do the same thing. Now you’re moving the resistance to the insides of the biceps, while at the same time preventing you from using momentum even more by using your body almost like a preacher bench. This forces you to generate all your power by pivoting precisely at the elbows and again forces you to slow down as you go through each rep.
